Tag: Surrender to God

The Security Of Knowing Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, Salvation, SecurityLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Wednesday, 2017-11-08
SCRIPTURE

From:

 John 10:27-30 (ERV)

Text:

  27 My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus was being challenged about all the power He claimed to have. In this Scripture today, He is explaining that if one listens to Him, accepts His authority and obeys Him, then they belong to His Father, and since He and the Father are one, they are ultimately His. The neat thing about these verses is that Jesus never gives any conditions that would undo that security of belonging. Instead, He said that no one will be able to snatch them from His hand. Wow….
APPLICATION:
From a very early age, we have been used to the idea that anytime we mess up and let a friend down, whether by total mistake or intentionally, then we could almost count on it that we have probably lost a friend. Jesus is teaching just the opposite in our relationship with Him, for He said in our Scripture today that His sheep – meaning those who have surrendered lordship of their lives to Jesus Christ, and are known as children of God. If they would listen to His voice, He would know them, and they would follow Him. BUT Jesus went on to say that His relationship with His children (sheep) is so special that He made it an eternal relationship – meaning that they will never truly ‘die’, but instead transition from earth to glory to be with Him eternally. Now friends, He attached no conditions to this promise, for if you are His, this promise is yours – straight from the lips and heart of the Master Himself! I don’t know about you, child of God, but this reminder and promise is super exciting to me, for we know that we could count on the promises of Jesus way more than what we do with friends who are best buddies one moment, yet the next they might barely want to talk to us. Jesus has a one-of-a-kind love for His children. Are you realizing that love today friend? Have you found the way to salvation in Jesus Christ yet? I would be happy to be that Brother to help you, but you may also follow the instructions in my Footnote. One might buy life insurance to financially secure their family upon their death. However, knowing Jesus, secures His love for you today, everyday and throughout eternity as you kneel at His feet and sing praises to His honor and glory! I am looking forward to that day friends, and I hope that I can convince you to do the same.
PRAYER:
Lord, I believe! I believe in Your awesome power and in Your glorious love for me today and throughout endless ages as I worship You and the Father in Heaven. However, I still have family and friends who have not surrendered their lives to You yet, and I am concerned about their eternal destination, for You have not indicated when our last day here on earth might be. Knowing that this could be today, I humbly pray that You might soften the hearts of those that I am thinking of at this moment, and that You might draw them unto Yourself. Lord, I know that they are precious in Your sight, so I beg You to work on their hardened hearts. For it’s in the matchless name of Jesus that I ask these things, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Did You RSVP Yet?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Salvation, SurrenderLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-03-10
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Matthew 22:12-14 (NLT)

Text:

 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
OBSERVATION:
In this parable, Jesus tells of a king who invited many guests to a wedding feast. When they didn’t show up, he sent his servants into the streets to invite any and everyone in. Most came prepared for a wedding feast, except one, whom the king addressed personally about his attire. With no explanation from the guest, the king had him thrown out. Let’s see out this applies to us….
APPLICATION:
I would imagine that in your church you face pretty much the same challenge as in my church, for members and attendees are encouraged to go and invite a friend or neighbor to church with you. Now, in your mind I want you to scan the audience of one of your favorite services and consider this question: If Jesus returned to gather His bride, the saved of this earth, right in the middle of that favorite service, how many do you think would remain? I know that you are not the judge, but wouldn’t you assume that there will be some who have just gone through the motions and attended church to please someone, or to keep someone from continuously bugging them, but they have never accepted the call (invitation) of Jesus to surrender their life to Him? I believe that there is no better place to find good, sincere friends and fellowship than around churches. I believe that there is no better place to be, than with God’s people who sincerely worship their God, seek His face in prayer, and understand His response through studying, or hearing the Word of God taught/preached. However, there is nothing in the Word of God that indicates that because you were invited to church and attended; or you had good fellowship with believers and actually befriended several of them; or you heard the Word taught or preached; or you attended a very serious prayer meeting – none of these things qualify you for meeting Jesus face to face. I believe that Jesus is extremely happy to see you fellowship with His children, but unless you believe on their Lord and Savior and surrender your life to His call on your life, then you will be much like the miss-dressed guest in this story when Jesus considers whether to accept you into His kingdom. So friend, you received an invitation to fellowship with believers and you accepted and did that. Hopefully you also received an invitation – a tug on your heart from the Lord Jesus to surrender your life of sin to Him for forgiveness and acceptance into His kingdom. That RSVP is the only means of you retiring to glory when you graduate from this earth. For it is only through accepting Jesus as Lord that He will see a believer as one washed white as snow, because of His forgiveness and acceptance. Neglecting this step will lead you to the same outer darkness referring to in the Scripture today. You, and only you, will make the choice about responding to Jesus. My prayer is that, if you have not knowingly made this commitment before, that you go directly to my Footnote and click the link ‘To Know Jesus’, for no one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will call either of us out of this world. Let’s be ‘dressed in our wedding clothes’, in other words, be found righteous by our holy God, and therefore ready to meet Him in the air! That meeting could take place today!
PRAYER:
Thank You for Your precious Word dear Lord, and I thank You for tugging at my heart’s door many years ago, and I humbly accepted Your call. Lord, may I be found faithful right up to the day that You call me home to be with You. Lord, I may have some friends, and maybe even some family, who may fit into the same scenario as the guest who was thrown out from the wedding feast, for I’m not sure that they ever completed their RSVP that You personally delivered to them. I believe there will also be readers of this blog that may fit this description also. Lord, I pray that You would anoint this blog with Your Holy Spirit that will tug at the hearts of these ones again today. May this be a day of decision by many today, is my heart’s cry in sincere prayer to the only One who can make a difference, Jesus, my Lord and King, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

What Pleases God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Committed, Surrender, Totally committed, Unconditional commitmentLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-03-02
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Exodus 4:10-14 (TLB)

Text:

 10 But Moses pleaded, “O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me, for I have a speech impediment.”

11 “Who makes mouths?” Jehovah asked him. “Isn’t it I, the Lord? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or not see, hear or not hear? 12 Now go ahead and do as I tell you, for I will help you to speak well, and I will tell you what to say.”

13 But Moses said, “Lord, please! Send someone else.”

14 Then the Lord became angry. “All right,” he said, “your brother, Aaron, is a good speaker. And he is coming here to look for you and will be very happy when he finds you.

OBSERVATION:
Moses was commanded to do something that was waaayyyy outside of his comfort zone. This caused Moses to say ‘no’ to God, and refuse to obediently get on with the job. This was unpleasing to God, as He became angry at Moses. In applying this Scripture to our lives today, we will examine whether this disobedience continues, or whether we truly make every effort to please God….
APPLICATION:
I would imagine that books that promise to prompt you towards things that please your spouse, or your teacher or your parents or your boss, probably sell out very quickly. For I believe that we are generally a people that prefer to please one another – especially if we believe that there are return benefits for us. But just for a moment, imagine one whose comfort zone is filling a support position behind the scenes. An extremely hard worker, but could care less about fanfare or public recognition. In fact, they prefer to see others recognized over themselves, as they prefer to get the job done and see the overall operation succeed. This sounds somewhat like Moses. He was being asked to do something that he always shied away from, because he felt so inadequate in speaking publicly. In fact, speaking in public was just not his forte. But wait a moment, why would the God of this universe ask him to do something that He knew Moses would be uncomfortable with, or feel unqualified for? Could it be that the task would then demand Moses to look upwards and depend on God, rather than his own known strengths? Friends, I am so sold out on the power of my God, that I truly believe that He outfits and prepares those that He calls to perform their assignments. I believe that if you are asked to teach, by a praying, God-honoring individual who tells you that God directed them to ask you to teach, what is there that you need time to pray about? Hoping that God, or is it perhaps Satan, will give you excuses on how to wiggle out of the assignment God has sent your direction? Unfortunately, I believe that way too often we spend more time meditating on the reasons we shouldn’t take a God-honoring position that could ultimately bring glory to Him, than we do in praising God for the opportunity to serve Him. After all, who are we that God should choose us to serve in His vineyard and influence others for the kingdom of God? Rightfully so, we are often unqualified for the job, but when we bring God into the equation, is there really anything too difficult, or impossible for Him? All things achieved though our inadequacies, shows the world that God is still in control and willing to work through even humble individuals like you and I. Please read verses 11 and 12 over again before you give a decision on whether you will accept your next assignment! Consider giving God an avenue through which He could accomplish His work to bring glory to himself and His kingdom.
PRAYER:
Lord, we are your servants, willing to be used by You to accomplish Your work here on earth. We believe in You, please help our unbelief; our doubt; our lack of trust; and our natural desire to be well qualified for everything we do. Depending on You will require faith and total dependence on You. Lord, please fill us and make us usable instruments that You can work through to touch the hardenend hearts of our dear friends, family, coworkers, and all those that You place in our path. Please forgive us for the time wasted in turning away from You and circumventing Your holy appointments. Help us to totally surrender our all to You, dear Lord. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Your God-Tools For 2016

On By Ed AlgreenIn Give it up, God tools, Let go and let God, SurrenderLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider even us, to nourish us for His glory! Read on and be blessed!………

The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)
The Bible Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
The Bible Text: The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

My Take Away: I was blessed to be a part of a group last night that watched the movie ‘War Room’. In that movie we were taught a similar principle as is taught in this passage of scripture today, that the Christian has at least one major God-tool at our disposal, and that we should take every opportunity to use it for the glory of God. As Paul indicated to the Corinthian church, there are tools of Satan in place all around us that we are powerless to face and challenged with on our own – that’s why they are so successful in this world with non-Christians. Often we can fight those things that are seen, and or obvious to us, but when we see our God-given marriages, children, extended families, neighbors, friends and churches failing, we quickly deduce that we are so helpless to do anything about those things. Friends, I was reminded that it’s not our marriages, children, extended families, neighbors, friends and churches that we are fighting, but instead it’s the Evil One that is trying very hard to kill, steal and/or destroy God’s chosen people – you and I. There is only one way to fight Satan, and that’s on our knees, crying out to God and pleading our case before our awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-encompassing creator and Lord over everything – Jesus Christ. I believe that it is so important to remind ourselves daily who’s in charge, and that our God has the power to handle everything that we are willing to surrender to His control. I believe it is only then that our minds will be fresh. May we never forget to call on God when we sense an act of Satan that hinders our walk, our talk and our glorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, these tools of Satan is nothing that the untrained should ever approach, these are God-sized, and can only be handled by Him. Let’s not waste time trying, or permitting the risk of us being sucked into, or wooed by Satan. Let’s surrender to God the things that we know should be handled by Him. No experimenting or trying to do it yourself. God’s got this, and we just need to humble ourselves and surrender our lives totally into His care. I believe that He loves us enough that He truly desires to be our Father!

Prayer: Father we are really quick to grab the right tools and physically take care of issues around our home, but then we fall apart when we have emotional or sin issues that impact our Christian walk, or our relationships. Thankfully You have provided tools for us to communicate with the Creator of this universe, and of mankind; the Great Physician; our Healer; the only Son of God; the Redeemer of mankind and the only One who can save us from our sin-riddled life, and bring us before the throne of grace, that we are so undeserving of. You loved us enough to die for us, Lord may we love You enough to totally surrender and dedicate our lives to You. May You find open, accessible lives that You can use for Your glory in all that You permit us to be a part of here on earth. This is my heart-cry today Father. May Your will be done in my life and in the lives of those who will meditate on this devotional today, is my prayer that I ask in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016